News & Events

Featured Database: Oxford English Dictionary (OED)

For release: 26 May, 2017

The Oxford English Dictionary (OED)
database is available to HCC faculty, staff,
and students through the Library’s
subscription.

According to the OED database’s “About”
page, it is “widely regarded as the accepted
authority on the English language.” As a
historical dictionary, the OED provides “the
history of individual words and of the
language—traced through three million
quotations, from classic literature and
specialist periodicals to film scripts and
cookery books.” What’s more, in its most
recent update the OED added 500 new
words, phrases, and senses that have come
into use. A few new entries included “garden
burger,” “hate watch,” and “things aren’t
what they used to be.”

The OED can be a dynamic teaching tool;
faculty might consider requiring students to
look up words or phrases to find out when
they entered the English language, how their
use has evolved over time, and their
language or region of origin.

Struggling to find just the right word? Browse
the subject trees in the Historical Thesaurus
to pin down the specific term you should use,
or choose the Thesaurus link in the top-right
corner of every definition.

To use the OED, go to the Library’s website,
click on “Research Resources,” then
“Research Databases.” Search by the
alphabetical listing (O) or select “Reference”
from the subject list. From off-campus, log in
with your library barcode number (printed on
the back of your HCC ID card).